SPORTS

The Wildcats blanked N.C. Central in the first outdoor match of the season.

DAVIDSON, N.C. — In their first outdoor match of the season, the Davidson men’s tennis team routed North Carolina Central on Friday afternoon, downing the Eagles 7-0 for the Wildcats’ first shutout win of the year.

“NC Central competed really well today,” said Head Coach Drew Barrett. “It was great to see our guys pull out some tight matches and grab a win in our first outdoor match.”

The ‘Cats started the day off strong, and never took their foot off the gas, winning the doubles point swiftly from courts one and three. Alejandro Solares and Udday Singh grabbed a 6-2 win from No. 1, earning their third victory of the year as Davidson’s top doubles duo, while William Clark and Juan Camilo Perez Gongora helped clinch the point with a 6-1 victory at No. 3.

On the singles courts, Solares won his fourth solo match of the season in a three-set thriller, dropping the first set 2-6 before bouncing back to win sets two and three 6-2, 10-8, respectively. The rest of the Wildcats won their respective matches in two-set sweeps, with Maxwell Kachkarov picking up his first singles win of the spring with a 7-5, 6-2 bout at court two.

Rookies Gongora and Nico Pinzon earned the first singles victory of their young careers at courts four and five, respectively, while fellow freshman Singh clinched a 6-4, 6-1 victory at court three. Sophomore Jerry Wang wrapped up the match with a commanding 6-4, 6-0 victory at No. 6.

With the win, the ‘Cats improved to 3-3 on the season and will hit the road for their next match on Sunday, February 27, taking on UNC Greensboro at 1 p.m.